Dallas Fort Worth Arts Music History and Things to do

Dallas Museum of Art

Most people think of sports, arts, music, culture, and cowboys when they think of things to do in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Yes, there’s that – but there’s also so much more. From such cultural icons as Casa Mañana Theater, the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra, the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet Company, Bass Performance Hall, the Dallas Opera, and the Van Cliburn Piano Competition to pure sports excitement, there’s no shortage of things to do and see.

The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth is world famous, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and Industry offers popular attractions for kids – and adults – of all ages. Most of Fort Worth’s attractions and restaurants are within three miles of downtown, making it easy to explore. Sundance Square is a popular hotbed, as is the Fort Worth Stockyards area; and, there are plenty of fun restaurants and bars around the TCU campus. And no trip to Fort Worth is complete without a stop at the famous Billy Bob’s Texas.

Fort Worth also boasts more than 200 parks and public outdoor spaces that cover nearly 11,000 acres across the city. Love dogs? There’s even the Fort Woof Dog Park at Gateway Park – an amenity that’s proven very popular with area residents and their four-legged friends. Beyond parks, Fort Worth’s Parks & Community Services (PACS) department also maintains hugely popular attractions such as the beautiful Fort Worth Botanical Garden, the rustic Log Cabin Village, the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, the famous Fort Worth Zoo, and The Herd – a real-life rustling of Texas longhorns at 11:30 am and 4:00 pm daily in the Fort Worth Stockyards, replicating cattle drives of yesteryear in a tribute to the city’s cowboy roots.

In Dallas, the West End Historic District (which includes the Sixth Floor Museum, the Old Red Courthouse, and the West End Marketplace); Greenville Avenue (bar- and restaurant-hopping is tops here, as is vintage & boutique shopping); Victory Park (the view from the Ghost Room atop the W hotel is stunning, as is gastropub Cook Hall); Deep Ellum (hip bars, great jazz and blues clubs); Knox-Henderson (lots of shopping, great restaurants like Fireside Pies, The Porch and more); Bishop Arts District (cute coffee shops, boutiques, fine and casual dining); and the Dallas Arts District (which includes the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Theater Center, and the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center) are some of the area’s most popular places to see, be seen, eat, and shop.

Love the outdoors? The DFW area is tops for celebrating all things green with an extensive park system that spans the entire metro area, offering plenty to see and do to get active, or just relax. From its early beginnings in 1876 to the creation of the city’s Park Board in 1905, the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department now maintains more than 23,000 park acres, including 18,618 acres of parkland with 374 neighborhood, community, and regional parks; 258 tennis courts and 5 tennis centers; 321 multipurpose fields; 252 athletic fields; 183 playgrounds; 154 outdoor basketball courts; 128 soccer fields; 115 picnic pavilions; more than 85 miles of trails; 87 softball diamonds; 47 recreational centers; 30 baseball diamonds; 22 community and 4 neighborhood swimming pools; 15 sandlots; 13 lakes; 12 football fields; 7 water spray playgrounds; and six 18-hole golf courses.

As for food, whatever your culinary taste or craving, Dallas/Fort Worth restaurants are sure to satisfy it. From luxury dining at The Mansion or The French Room to down home barbeque at Sonny Bryan’s in Dallas, famous Mexican food at Joe T. Garcia’s and rustic, creative fare at Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth, there’s truly something for everyone here.

Got sports? With teams in every major sports league, fans have their pick of events. Dallas Cowboys football, Dallas Mavericks basketball, Texas Rangers baseball, Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas team, and the Dallas Stars hockey team are all hot tickets – no matter what the season.

Commuting around the Dallas area will be easy this summer with DART. Find great destinations in the North Texas area to keep you and your family entertained, from art and culture to the historical downtown areas.